Residents stage protest against power outage

F.P. Report

TIMERGARA:  The residents and traders of Samar Bagh on Wednesday held a protest rally against prolonged power outage.  The protesters led by president Anjuman Tajaran Samar Bagh Sarbiland Khan walked on the roads and chanted slogans against the Pesco authorities and federal government for their failure to provide smooth power supply. They also blocked the main road in front of the local post office for some time.

Speaking on the occasion Sarbiland Khan, Muhammad Iqbal, Haji Inayat Khan and others alleged that work on Jandol grid station and Jandol express line was being deliberately delayed.

They said the JI lawmakers had badly failed to keep their promise of solving the problem of excessive load shedding in the area. They said that electricity was being provided to different union councils turn by turn. They said that locals had been facing acute shortage of drinking water at homes, mosques and markets.

The protesters gave a weeklong ultimatum to the government for solving the problem of electricity in Jandol. Otherwise they threatened to lock all the Pesco offices in the area.

The residents of Khall, Rabat and surrounding areas also have complained that duration of the power load shedding on Toormang II feeder had reached to 18 hours a day. Talking to local journalists here the other day the residents said that excessive load shedding had made life miserable of locals. They said that power supply remained suspended from 8 AM to 5 PM regularly due to work on some feeders. They said that the supply at night also disrupted for hours. The residents said they had been facing acute shortage of drinking water at homes, mosques and markets due to frequent outage. They demanded of the concerned authorities to take notice of the problem and decrease the duration of load shedding.

Meanwhile the JI lawmaker Izaz ul Mulk Afkari told local journalists at Timergara that a delegation of local lawmakers and LG representatives led by him met the Pesco chief Dr Zakaullah at Peshawar the other day and informed him about the public grievances. He said the Pesco chief had promised to expedite construction work on Jandol grid station and Jandol express line. He said that Rs 260 million had been approved for the grid station while Rs 70 million for Jandol Express line.